And Boney had made no attempt to eat
him up, but had received him with the pleasantest smile that he had
ever seen, and had told him that English horses were good. "And of
course he was thinking of Billy," said Elsie, "when he said that."
And then the Colonel brought out pencil and paper and drew pictures of
Boney and of the Duke, and of Bheels and Pindarrees and Mahrattas and
other strange people against whom he had fought in India. He also
assured Dick that he had drunk puddle-water, like Lord Willoughby's
men, and had been very glad to get it. Finally he produced a little
silver bangle hung with curious silver coins which he put on Elsie's
wrist for her very own, and a knife in a sheath for Dick. The knife
was not very sharp, but then the sheath was beautiful. So that by the
time when Lord Fitzdenys and Lady Eleanor came out to look for them,
they found the children hanging on to the Colonel's arms and calling
him Colonel George as if they had known him all their lives.
Lord Fitzdenys called Colonel George to him; and he left the children
to join Lady Eleanor, who told him the story of Tommy Fry, and asked
him what he made of it.
"Witchcraft, of course, is nonsense," he said, "but there are people
who can wield such influence as this over others, the power of a
stronger will over a weaker, I suppose. One hears of it often in
India.
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